It's going to be a miracle

If I ever get a pattern knitted from New Pathways, I'm going to rejoice. Nothing seems to work. I tried to knit the Home & Hearth Eyelet Anklets, but they turned out huge. I don't know why. My gauge is spot on and I followed the instructions but I'm sure that they would have been big even on DH, and his feet are several sizes larger than mine. They seemed huge after I got done with the arch expansion, but even then I gave them a second chance. I finished them all the way through the heel, then tried them on again. I might have been able to fit them over my shoes. I just don't get it. I was knitting them with the first yarn I dyed myself (with Kool-Aid) and they were going to be house socks but they just weren't going to work. So down went another pattern (at least for this week).
I did give Bartholomew's another try, and just didn't like the way they looked. So I ripped them too. Then I thought I might knit the Cables & Corrugations socks, but the sizes that the pattern gives seem to me to be kids sizes. I'm just not so sure what was going on in Cat Bordhi's life when she designed these patterns. The biggest size in the C&C socks is an 8.5 in midfoot, which according to the chart in the back coordinates with a woman's size 5. I personally don't know ANY women with feet that small. I have freakishly big feet for a 5'4" person, but when I knit the anklets to that size, they were huge. I seriously don't know. Maybe I'm just sock challenged right now. I did finish the Monkey socks without a problem. Maybe it's just this book.
But I'm not going to let it get the best of me. Tonight I decided to start the Riverbed master pattern, and I'm just going to knit a basic stockinette sock. If it works, I'm going to rejoice. If not, it will be just one more on my list of patterns to knit differently next time.
I don't know what the hell I did, but I really screwed up my back. It hadn't really been bothering me lately (it's just an occasional thing). I walked 3 miles with K. on Wednesday, and i'ts been messed up ever since. I can barely sit, barely stand, barely lie down. I took 2 Vicodin tonight along with a muscle relaxant and it just takes the edge off. I'm going to take a sleeping pill here in a while and hope for the best for the rest of the night. I may end up sleeping on the couch if I can't get comfortable on the bed. I think that the stupid bed is part of the problem. I have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday, if I survive until then.
On a completely non knitting note, I've decided to homeschool my boys. We've found a program called Connections Academy, which is a public school curriculum that is taught at home. I'm very frustrated with our school here and have just decided that I need to pull them out. G. is behind and struggling, and B is bored because it's too easy. They seem to be on board with the whole program but we'll see in a few months. There's a pretty big homeschool community here, and a good friend of mine (with a child the same age as B) is using Connections too. We're hoping to get meetings/activities going here in town. I guess they used to meet (the homeschoolers) but slacked off. I hope we can get a group going again. I'm going to need a lot of support. I really am not sure about my abilities, but it can't be any worse than the local school right now. We have to fax a ton of forms on Monday, and when we are notified that they are fully enrolled, they will be removed from their school. I think in the long run it will benefit everyone. I just hope I don't go looney having them home all day. They are going to have to learn to get along better.
Wish me luck. I will probably need it.